House Republicans shoot down $2,000 stimulus checks sought by Trump. What’s next?

House Republicans blocked a bill Thursday from Democrats that would have provided $2,000 stimulus checks to many Americans after President Donald Trump demanded the direct payments be increased from $600.

Democrats tried to pass the bill by unanimous consent and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said there will be a recorded House vote on the proposal next week. The measure only needed the opposition of one lawmaker to fail.

“Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support. If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction,” Pelosi said Thursday morning in a statement. “On Monday, I will bring the House back to session where we will hold a recorded vote on our stand-alone bill to increase economic impact payments to $2,000.”

The $900 billion package, passed by Congress late Monday, comes about nine months after the first stimulus deal was reached — following numerous delays and debates among congressional and White House leaders about what the legislation should contain.

The aid package, currently awaiting Trump’s signature to become law, includes $600 direct payments for millions of Americans making up to $75,000 a year but is less generous than the $2 trillion CARES Act, which provided $1,200 payments for individuals who met that same income threshold.

In a video posted to Twitter Tuesday evening, Trump demanded Congress increase the “ridiculously low” $600 direct payments included in the most recent bill to $2,000 per person or $4,000 per couple and called other provisions in the legislation “wasteful spending and much more.”

House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, a Democrat, on Thursday introduced the Caring for Americans with Supplemental Help (CASH) Act, which aimed to raise payments to $2,000.

House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, a Democrat, tried to bring the bill to the House floor, but the measure was blocked by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Republican, CNBC reported.

Trump didn’t explicitly say that he would veto the legislation giving $600 checks — and both houses of Congress passed the bill with veto-proof majorities, meaning the Senate and House could override Trump’s veto if he tried to block the measure.

But, Trump could potentially let the legislation die by not signing it before the new session of Congress convenes on Jan. 3, according to CNBC.

If Trump doesn’t sign the bill, unemployment programs and a moratorium on evictions could expire at the end of the year, CBS News reported. Around 12 million Americans could lose out on unemployment benefits the day after Christmas.

Because the coronavirus relief compromise was included with a $1.4 trillion spending bill, the government would also shut down on Dec. 29 and there would be a delay on the $600 stimulus checks if Trump did not sign the legislation, according to The Associated Press.

Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday that Democrats were met with “Sphinx-like silence” during bipartisan negotiations when they asked Republicans for the highest number Trump would accept for stimulus checks.

“If the President truly wants to join us in $2,000 payments, he should call upon Leader McCarthy to agree to our Unanimous Consent request,” she said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, hasn’t responded publicly to Trump’s demand for more aid as of Thursday morning.

Trump’s call for $2,000 stimulus checks has thrown a wrench in the bipartisan aid package agreed to by congressional Republicans, led by McConnell, who have previously opposed a costlier deal, according to The Associated Press.

House Republicans said that Trump “threw them under the bus” during a Wednesday conference call, the publication reported.

The push for larger direct payments also poses a conundrum for Georgia Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, who are fighting to keep their seats in Georgia’s Jan. 5 runoff elections, which will determine if Democrats or Republicans control the Senate, CNBC reported.

Loeffler and Perdue have allied themselves with Trump and touted the $900 billion relief bill as a win to their constituents, but the president’s actions could derail the deal before the critical elections.

This story was originally published December 24, 2020 at 9:26 AM with the headline "House Republicans shoot down $2,000 stimulus checks sought by Trump. What’s next?."